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145 of 155 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent game... even better than the first!, March 30, 2006
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
A sequel that everyone's been waiting for, for nearly four years.
When the original Kingdom Hearts was released, many gamers initially dismissed it as "childish." Upon actually playing it though, many of the naysayers were turned around, and realized that the game was actually pretty good. I was one of the group who actually was looking forward to the game from the start back since 2001, and was incredibly pleased with the results. I've been looking forward to the sequel for some time now, and needless to say, was not disappointed.
The story involves Sora, Donald, and Goofy finally returning after the events of the GBA's Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. It seems as if the quest of finding King Mickey and Riku is nearing, which means that so is our trio's journey. However, it isn't long before they're sent on another journey, this time to not only defeat the Heartless, but also mysterious creatures called the Nobodies, led by a group called Organization XIII. It all gets crazy from there.
And how can I descripe the sound? The music for example, is once again incredibly fun to listen to, and still retains the Disney spirit like the first game. There's even a few returning themes from KH1. And the voices? Well, they're just as topnotch as always. Everyone is great, from returning regulars such as Haley Joel Osment as Sora, to new additions such as Jesse McCartney as newcomer Roxas. And let's forget the well-established cast of Disney voices, who are once again spot on.
And the battle system... hoo boy. The first one was a fairly simple one with attacks, jumps, and quick magic spells. This one ups it all with tons of more combat options. There are new reaction commands that'll help you out, for example, knocking the blast of an enemy back into them, combination attacks with other characters, and the ability to fuse into one warrior with Donald or Goofy that turns Sora into an all-out powerhouse. It makes combat become frantic and incredibly fun.
Kingdom Hearts 2 is an excellent video game, a worthy sequel, and more than worth buying. Get it! Get it now!
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130 of 155 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
4.5, truly fun, March 31, 2006
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
Let's be honest. On paper, the idea behind Kingdom Hearts sounds like Square-Enix's money wet dream. Take Final Fantasy, a franchise that has more otaku's than most out there, and add in Disney, another franchise that has a ton of fans and followers. Meld them together and bam. Insta-money. Well, it worked for them. They raked in a ton of money. But, it worked for gamers like me.
There's a moment early on in the game where the Blue Fairy from Sleeping Beauty gives the main character something new (I'm purposefully being nebulous) then says "You'll need it because your adventure will be twice as difficult" as the last. If only that were true. Kingdom Hearts II is a mix of great and not-so-great. And I know my review is going to be pounded into the ground with so many unhelpful votes but I have to be the dissenting opinion in this case.
The game begins by force-feeding you mini-games. Uninspired, boring, repetitive mini-games that you HAVE to play. You are required to gain 800 munny (the currency) and, in order to do so, you have to take jobs (read: mini games) and you will get paid upon your skill. There are three levels of payment, 10, 30 and 50. Do the math and you'll see that, depending on your ability, you will do these mini-games 16-80 times in order to gain the required munny. They aren't necessarily difficult by any means, but it comes off as needless filler.
Speaking of filler, while I think the prologue is necessary and probably has a very important relevance to the plot of the series, I was so ready for the prologue (which is a meaty 3 hours or so) to finally get out of the way so I could actually begin to play the main plot of the story. I'm happy to say, that once you leave Twilight Town the story finally picks up. I haven't finished the game, not even close I don't think, but the story is finally getting interesting. And much more enjoyable than the first.
Going back to the difficulty comment, the game is not difficult at all. In fact, I have been able to set the controller down, keep hitting "X" and not pay attention to what's happening on screen. The result? All of the enemies dead, and me with full life. This is accomplished by the fact that enemies drop a ton of health refills and the game is just too easy. And, I have the difficult set up to the max (there's 3 levels). I can only imagine the lower difficulties. Now, I do know that this game is made to be enjoyed by kids and adults alike. I perfectly understand that and the need for having a very easy difficulty so that Square-Enix can maximize their audience. But, when the highest level difficulty results to me just hitting down X...I'm disappointed.
Which is too bad. Like some reviewers have said, KH2 utilizes a much much better battle system than the previous titles. The most important change is complete control over the camera with the Right stick. No more shoulder button pressing. But now, also, the summons are different and better, the new abilities to meld with one of your teammates to do amazing amounts of damage, and other similar upgrades. The AI is also much better this time around and your teammates won't waste as many of your items as before. All of these make the game easier but more fun. Unfortunately, with the difficulty already set to a very low standard, problems arise.
There are some cool additions though. They definitely stole from games like God of War and Resident Evil 4 with the triangle button presses. Some areas are like interactive cutscenes ala the boss fights in God of War. They are cool and fun. Not as awesome as some in God of War, but still quite exciting. And they throw some change into the mix. The gummi ship has also been muchly improved, thankfully.
I also wish we were exploring more new territories. Sure, some of the territories here are really awesome, Tron and Steamboat Willy come directly to mind, but why must we continue to tread through repeats of the first game? Yes, I know the story is set to do that. But there are so many different disney zones that could have been used. Where is The Black Cauldron? Also, after you've revisted the places...you're going back to them again! Yes, there are changes, but you're going back to them. It seems awfully lazy.
One thing I'm always amazed in is Square's ability to maximize their console to create the best product they can graphically. While if you compare the game to the next Gen systems, the aliasing problems are through the roof at times, the animation style is terrific. Everyone moves so fluid that you can easily forget at times you are watching polygons not a hand drawn animation. Its absolutely beautiful to look at. But the one thought going through my mind is, man what will they be able to do on the next gen systems?
The sound is also really well orchestrated and utilized. The voice actors range from Haley Joel Osment to Ron Perlman to Christopher Lee to Sean Astin to just a ton of voice actors. Its really amazing. Its disappointing that some of the cast from Pirate of the Carribean didn't contribute ("scheduling conflicts") except, most notably, Geoffrey Rush.
I haven't beaten the game yet. My review could possibly change as I progess. I just wanted to get some of the important things out there to help people decide. Honestly, most of these reviews are going to be pointless. The majority of those who played the first one will undoubtably be right back on board with this one, reviews be damned. I know I was. I really like the game. Don't get me wrong. The story is absolutely excellent (once we got past the boring prologue) and I love what I'm playing and its fun to see the Disney franchise used in this way (by the way, you might want to pick up chain of Memories and play it (if you can) before playing this game. The plot directly relates to some events of that game). I do think that there are some problems, most notably in terms of the difficulty range that can reduce the game to button mashing without thought. But, really, I'm in it for the story and the remembrances of childhood.
Not a 4 star game, but not a 5 star. If I could, it would be 4.5. Kingdom Hearts II is a good game that will delight most, if not all, of its fans. Its detractors will still fume about the problem. But, if you played the first one, you're doing yourself a great disservice by not picking this up.
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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Kingdom of Heaven!, March 29, 2006
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
Very rarely does a sequel out do the original, but Kingdom Hearts II manages to do it. Not only does this improve on many aspects of the original, but it utilizes the same formula that worked very well in the first game.
Once again you'll play as Sora visiting different sets of Disney worlds. Each Disney world has its own plot that is very similar to that of the movies. Some lines are even ripped straight from the movies. That's not such a bad thing, of course. At least for Disney fanatics.
There's no doubt Kingdom Hearts II definitely improves on the gameplay. Yes, it is still the same old hack and slash battle system of the original. And yes, when you go into a world you'll go with Donald and Goofy, and be given a character to substitute. There have been a few additions, however, and they're welcome. These tweaks have obviously been tuned up by Square-Enix. Aside from being able to cast numerous spells and summon other disney characters, Kingdom Hearts II introduces limit breaks. Where your entire party will perform a devastating attack. It drains all your MP (of every character) but it's pretty darn powerful, and helps out. The game also introduces drives which will have you combining with other characters to perform some devastating attacks. These additions are welcome to the universe of Kingdom Hearts, despite the fact that the game is so easy you probably won't need them. However, whenever there are small tweaks made to the gameplay they're welcome so long as it keeps the game interesting.
There is a whole new set of Disney worlds introduced in Kingdom Hearts II. Including the first Disney cartoon Steamboat Willie and Pirates of the Caribbean. Each world, as I've noted has a smiliar plot and voice over to the movies. This isn't so bad because the disney characters actually sound like their disney characters. This is another strength of Kingdom Hearts II. There's an all star voice-over cast. You'll recognize the voices of characters and they're spot on. For a game with as many voices as Kingdom Hearts, it's certainly nice to see that not a single voice is lackluster. Some of the dialogue comes directly from the movies, and this probably won't bother Disney fanatics either.
Although, for Square-Enix fans, I can't say the same for the Final Fantasy aspect of the game. Final Fantasy characters aren't nearly as well fleshed out as Disney characters. It's great that they're here and all, but they don't play an integral part in the storyline, and they're often given bad dialogue. It's the only moment where you'll question Kingdom Hearts II.
Graphically the game is solid. Being one of the best looking on the Playstation 2. Everything is vibrant and colorful and definitely has a great appeal. Especially to people who enjoy Disney. They've got the big feet, gloves and everything. The final fantasy characters also look really good. Even though some may not like that some of them look a little kiddie, it isn't really anything to be too upset about. It's only keeping with the style of the game.
Musically Kingdom Hearts II sounds great. Most tunes you'll instantly recognize from your favorite Disney movie, and it'll be no surprise if you find yourself humming these tunes. If you love Disney music, you'll love the music of this game. The outside tunes also sound really great.
Rarely is a second installment better than the first. Kingdom Hearts II succeeds by improving the gameplay, and fixing a few things that kept the first one down such as the horrible camera angles. While it could've used a bit more Final Fantasy influence, Kingdom Hearts II is a solid game. Those who loved the first one will fall in love all over again with the second one.
The Good
+Outstanding graphics
+Great Gameplay
+Music is great
+All-Star Voice Acting cast
+A longer more fleshed out game than the first one
+Several different worlds
+New summon spells
The Bad
-The game is a little too easy. Even though they've got these new, cool additions, you most likely won't need them. You can easily hack and slash through everything
-The Final Fantasy characters could've been put to better use
The game is fantastic. Fans of the first one will absolutely love it.
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